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HeeHeeHeeHoHoHo
10-20-2002, 10:07 PM
I just checked the website and didn't notice any more Fantasmic! shows for a while.... is it really gone?

A rumor on these boards ealier stated something along the lines of a river re-hab and no Fantasmic! for a looooooooong time

How Sad!

Darkbeer
10-20-2002, 10:26 PM
Disney.com now shows the River rehab starting January 21st.

The last showings of Fantasmic! are Saturday, November 2nd at 9 and 10:30 PM, after that, no earlier than next summer!

SoCalDisneyLover
10-21-2002, 07:10 AM
I heard from someone that I would trust, that Fantasmic may in fact be ending Forever. The decision is being made right now. If I hear anything else, I'll post it here.

Hydroman
10-21-2002, 07:09 PM
I can't imagine they would just pull the plug on F! without marketing it to death, a la MSEP.

MonorailMan
10-21-2002, 07:33 PM
Originally posted by Hydroman
I can't imagine they would just pull the plug on F! without marketing it to death, a la MSEP.

Maybe they have learned from the "Glowing away forever." fiasco.

Darkbeer
10-21-2002, 08:52 PM
The Rumor I have heard is that they will NOT offer Fantasmic! again until the 50th anniversary, then offer a NEW and IMPROVED Fantasmic!, and while that will help attendance for the 50th, as Fantasmic! fans return to see the show again, what does it do for the park the next couple of years, except cut labor costs:confused:

teri
10-21-2002, 09:36 PM
Holy smokes... I will be there for the last performance of F!... now that is timing.

Sophie832
10-21-2002, 09:45 PM
Nov. 2nd!!! I had no idea! I am definitely gonna be there for both shows since I am a Fantasmic freak and will be going into withdrawls after that!

If it goes away for a long time, or forever, I will have never gotten to see it from the balcony seating...sigh. Plus, I think it is a big mistake on Disney's part. Even if it does return for the 50th, I like it mainly the way it is, and I know they won't make any changes I'll like. I've heard they are talking about fiberoptics on the house so that the CMs don't have to stand there with light wands at the end, but that's a small change that I can't see taking 2 years. I'm sure that a rehab for the 50th would not improve the show for me because the music, animations, and character portions are classics!

Oh well, I will be there to see it the last day.

HeeHeeHeeHoHoHo
10-21-2002, 11:28 PM
There are ways you could twink and add 'pluses' to Fantasmic!.. I always thought the Pinociho (sp) scene could use a little more umph.

Also you could have real (believe) style firewords timed towards the finale and add 4-8 more measures of key changes and extended 'false endings' at the end :-)

Ghoulish Delight
10-22-2002, 07:54 AM
Originally posted by Darkbeer
...what does it do for the park the next couple of years, except cut labor costs:confused: It makes it possible to walk through NOS at night!! I have a love hate relationship with Fantasmic! It's a fabulous show and everyone should see it, but I can't stand what it does to NOS.

With Pooh opening up, and HMH running for 3+ months every year, I think they will still have pleanty of draw for the park (especially if Pooh turns out to be a hit) that they can easily get away with pulling the Fantasmic! plug for a couple years.

SoCalDisneyLover
10-22-2002, 11:12 AM
The latest I heard from the person I know associated with Fantasmic! is that they have again changed their minds, and plan to bring it back next summer.

Don't quote me on this please, because the fact they were even giving strong consideration to pulling the plug gives me cause for concern. I suggest if you're in love with the show, that you make an effort to go over the next couple of weekends, just in case.

It doesn't make sense they would get rid of it without a lot of fanfare and promotion. But with Disneyland, it's probably not safe to assume anything these days.

Morrigoon
10-22-2002, 11:46 AM
I would say that any day you're in the park and F! is NOT running, drop them a line complaining that they don't run it often enough (eg: let them know that seeing Fantasmic is important to you)

Ghoulish Delight
10-22-2002, 11:52 AM
Originally posted by Morrigoon
I would say that any day you're in the park and F! is NOT running, drop them a line complaining that they don't run it often enough (eg: let them know that seeing Fantasmic is important to you) NOOOO!! I relish those days that it's not running. It's nice to have NOS not be a madhouse once in a while :(

chryslervan
10-22-2002, 02:37 PM
Closing Fantasmic longer than until next summer would guarantee we would NOT renew our Annual Passports next Summer! Fantasmic is one of the main reasons we go to Disneyland many times each year.

When Disneyland pulled the plug on the Main Street Electric Parade they also "pulled the plug" on our attendance. I boycotted Disneyland for 6 years.....until 2000 when oldest grandchild was 6 and his sister was almost 3 years old. They loved Disneyland so much we took them (and their parents) back again and went once by ourselves. Last year we took them twice and the third trip took their 5 year old cousin and his mom. Got our Annual Passport on 2nd trip last year and renewed it this summer by mail.

This year we went twice by ourselves and took the 2 grandchildren and their parents once. We plan to go again after December 9th when The Christmas Parade, The night-time fireworks at Disneyland, Electric Parade at DCA, Jack Skellington is at Haunted Mansion, and the new Aladdin Show has begun....since Flik's Fun Fair is also now open.

WE did NOT have much fun during our trip to Disneyland Resort April 30 - May 4 this year when the parks had short operating hours, Fantasmic was not on, No Fireworks, No Electric Parade, etc. Disneyland and DCA rides and atmosphere just don't have the appeal with short hours and the night-time galas closed.

I am glad we have Al to report on the wasteful extravagance Upper Management commits while pleading poverty to the Cast Members who MAKE Disneyland "The Happiest Place on Earth".

Disneyfreak
10-22-2002, 03:12 PM
My mother helped design fantasmics water screen. It took a while to do. They have way better technology today. They might improve the water effect if they close fantasmic for a few years. That would be the major project. So dont worry about the show being worse. There is no way they can screw it up. The new water effect would make it so the image has sort of a digital quality to it. Like a DVD. So if anything the show will be way better. If you want to see the company my mom work at, here is the web site
www.rbf.com

Laffite
10-22-2002, 03:26 PM
Originally posted by Disneyfreak
My mother helped design fantasmics water screen.


Okay, and why can't I have a cool mom like that?
:eek:

--Preston/laffite

chryslervan
10-22-2002, 04:59 PM
Could be but not worth the painful withdrawal pains we must encounter if Fantasmic were to be closed more than a few months at a time.

It would be nice to have more seating space and actual bleachers or stadium from which to view Fantasmic....BUT, that would be very difficult to do and retain the charm and intimacy of Disneyland.

I would prefer Disney commit resources to restoring the nice attractions that used to be in Tomorrowland ( Circle Vision, America Sings, Carousel of Progress, People Mover, Submarines, Captain EO instead of "Honey I Shrunk the Audience", for starters).

Fantasmic would be just as nice if they used water screen technology to eliminate the labor intensive effects EXCEPT for the Mark Twain and Sailing Ship Columbia.

Disneyphile
10-23-2002, 02:19 PM
I vote they keep Fantasmic! running every weekend and cut Eisner's salary instead.;)

-Teresa

Traci
10-23-2002, 02:26 PM
Good point! I agree!

innerSpaceman
10-23-2002, 03:21 PM
Originally posted by chryslervan
It would be nice to have more seating space and actual bleachers or stadium from which to view Fantasmic....BUT, that would be very difficult to do and retain the charm and intimacy of Disneyland.
Banish the thought! They have already decimated the once beautiful N.O.S. shoreline of the Rivers of America in order to provide more Fantasmic viewing areas. I sorely miss the gently sloping lawns that led to the riverside. The dockside, wharf-walk that we got in order to make more room for people to watch the show is nicely themed I guess, but it's - like I said - docklike and wharflike and, ychh, ugly.

They've done enough damage to accomodate Fantasmic viewing. Leave NOS alone already!

smd4
10-23-2002, 03:32 PM
I'm with GD and Innerspaceman. Send F! to DCA or something. One of the most beautiful and evocative areas of the park was ruined seemingly forever in order to literally wedge a show in there. Geeze I miss the good ol' days when you could take a moonlit cruise (in the SUMMER!) on the Mark Twain. Or leisurely walk around NOS sipping a cup of coffee and listening to Dixieland, and NOT having to hear syruppy music and loud BANGs, followed by getting half crushed trying to walk 15 feet in less than twenty minutes...

chryslervan
10-23-2002, 09:02 PM
Agree 100% on Cut of Eisner's salary....and other ideas.

For we who do not live within 50 miles of Disneyland Resort, a leisurely moonlit night stroll on south shore of Rivers of America would not be worth the loss of Fantasmic. We would like to experience the Christmas Parade, Halloween decor of Haunted Mansion, etc. which is available between Thanksgiving and New Years Day but to us Fantasmic is of more interest. Our 3 or 4 trips each year are scheduled during Summer months when Fantasmic is operating nightly....and we don't have to be trampled by the weekend crowds.

Unfortunate the visionary Walt Disney did not foresee the technology made available after his untimely death and plan for Fantasmic by providing more space between N.O.S. and the waterfront.

With the limited space of DCA, it appears that even had the entire former parking lot been incorporated into DCA, there would have been insufficient space for the magnificent Fantasmic at Paradise Bay. The theme of Fantasmic just doesn't fit in with DCA.

Ace
10-23-2002, 09:04 PM
Fantasmic costs either $40,000 a night or a show ($80,000/night) to put on, right? If they stopped showing it for a year... let's say, 2 months(?) of shows, which is $2,400,000 or $4,800,000 dollars saved... I know that F! is a big draw for people... but I think that spending 5 mil on paint, rehabs, and other things that the park needs (Peoplemover....) would be a better usage of the money.

I know that all these figures are probably wrong, since doing research involves work. But the concept is the same... even if they're only saving $3.98 a year then they could at least paint something....

TimBuk2
10-23-2002, 09:14 PM
That stinks if Fantasmic goes away. That will be too bad, it's still a good show.

November 8 is the first night scheduled for Holiday Fireworks.

Germboy
10-24-2002, 12:05 AM
I'm 31 years old. I remember back in the mid to late 70's, sitting around the Rivers of America with my parents, listening to the sweet sound of Pete Fountain's clarinet and his band. His brand of Dixieland jazz fit right into the area and really made those nights (oh so long ago) so memorable. Although I was way too young to appreciate it, I do now. It was hallmark Disney. Does anyone else remember this?